Forest Whitaker

Introduction

Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. He is one of Hollywood's most accomplished director who has showcased his talents in a multitude of demanding and diverse roles. Winning the Academy Award this year for Best Actor for his performance as Uganda dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, Whitaker also received the Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA Awards as Best Actor. In addition to this acclaim, his independent film American Gun, a movie which he produced and starred in, was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. (Grant, 11)

Early life

Whitaker attended the School of Drama at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, as well as the Drama Studio London. In a student production of "Whose Life is it Anyway?" in which he played an orderly, his talent was so obvious that he was approached by two agents eager to represent him. His first film appearance was in "TAG: The Assassination Game."

Whitaker became a drama student at U.S.C. after a short stint at as a football player at Cal State Fullerton. There the coach continued to play him despite a painful back injury. Feeling that his coach cared only about winning, even if it cost his players their health, Whitaker transferred to U.S.C. to take up acting.( Chambers, 28)

Whitaker's first onscreen role of note was in 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High alongside the likes of Judge Reinhold, Nicolas Cage, and Phoebe Cates. He followed with notable roles in Platoon, Good Morning, Vietnam, and The Color of Money. In 1988, Forest played the role of musician Charlie Parker in the Clint Eastwood directed film, Bird, for which he won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival. Whitaker was originally called upon to write and direct a live-action movie adaptation of Bill Cosby's cartoon, Fat Albert, but differences between the two led to Whitaker leaving production.

In 2002, he was the host and narrator of The Twilight Zone, which lasted one season. In 2006, Whitaker joined the cast of FX's cop serial The Shield, as Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh. His performance as a tormented internal affairs cop only strengthened the show's attractiveness to fans and advertisers alike. Whitaker received critical acclaim for his peformance as dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland. He is a guest star on the October 19, November 2, and November 9, 2006 episodes of ER.( Grant, 14)

Discussion

His other upcoming films include the suspense thriller, Vantage Point, opposite Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox, and Where the Wild Things Are, an adaptation of the Maurice Sendak children's classic book, due for a 2008 release, which is mix of live-action, animation and puppetry. He is currently working on Repossession Mambo, opposite Jude Law.

Whitaker co-starred in David Fincher's Panic Room and Joel Schumacher's Phone Booth. In 2000, Whitaker played the ...